Mossad spy expelled from Britain over fake passports

The move to expel a diplomat will send relations with Israel to a new low

Britain today expelled an Israeli diplomat believed to be a Mossad secret agent over the cloning of 12 UK passports used in an assassination in Dubai.

The sanction, said by sources to be a sign of the Government's "deep anger", was announced by Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

It follows an investigation into how copies of the documents were obtained from British citizens. A hit squad from the Mossad intelligence agency is accused of strangling Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, leader of the militant Palestinian group Hamas, in his hotel room in January.

The team wore false beards and wigs and posed as tennis playing tourists during an elaborately coordinated operation, using the passports to enter and leave Dubai.

Mr Miliband, who condemned the cloning as "outrageous", told MPs today that an investigation by the Serious Organised Crime Agency had established the passports had been made by Israeli secret agents.

He said that in response, an unnamed Israeli diplomat was being expelled from London. Mr Miliband highlighted the potential danger the cloning had created for innocent British citizens. Officials said today's action was intended as a public sign of the Government's deep anger over the affair.

Israel, whose ambassador to Britain was summoned to the Foreign Office to discuss the affair last month, has refused to confirm or deny its involvement in the killing. Full details of the British investigation were being spelled out in Parliament. It is understood that the weight of evidence has led the Government to conclude that Mossad agents were responsible for making the fake documents.

The most likely scenario is thought to be that the passports were cloned during border checks as British citizens entered Israel. The decision to publicly blame Israel for the cloning will be seen as further confirmation that its agents carried out the strike.

Today's rift with Britain comes as Israel is facing increasing condemnation over its decision to build Jewish housing in East Jerusalem.